Railway-switch



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

W. HALLIDAY 8; T. F. .RAWLS.

RAILWAY SWITCH.

N0. 515,675. x Patented Feb. 2'7, 1894.-

(No Model.) 7 3 Sheets8heet. 2..

W. HALLIDAY & T. F. RAWLS. RAILWAY SWITGH.

Patented Feb. 27

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RAILWAY SWITCH- No. 515,675. Patented Feb. 27, 1894..

- Witnesses: I Zventorfi:

Attor hey.

UNITED STATES PATENT @rrrca.

WILLIAM HALLIDAY AND THOMAS F. RAWLS, OF BARNETT, MISSISSIPPI.

RAI LWAY= SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 515,675, dated February 2'7, 1894.

Serial No. 487,702. (No model.)

and its novelty will be fully understood from the following description and claims when taken in connection with the annexed drawings; and the object of the invention is to provide means connected to a'railway switch and operated from the cab of the engine to close the switch.

A further object of the invention is to provide means attached to the railway ties to automatically close the switch from the engine as the latter approaches the switch.

The invention consists in the novel arrangement and construction of parts, as will be hereinafter fully described and set up in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this application: Figure 1 is a side elevation of an engine, upon a railway track showing our improved mechanism upon the engine and connected to the switch. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the switch, track, and operating mechanism, with the switch open. Fig. 3 is a similar view with the switch closed. Fig. 4: is a detached perspective view of the horizontally slidable trigger arm, and the upright to which it is pivoted. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the trigger arm. Fig. 6 is a perspective view, partly broken, of two railway ties, the upright, the trigger arm and the spring controlling the latter. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the upright in a modified form. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a modified form of trigger arm. Fig. 9 is an inverted perspective view of the end of the arm having the dove tail lug. Fig. 10 is a perspective view partly broken away of the track and means controlling the switch.

The same letters of reference denote the same parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

To the front of the engine A, is secured a bell crank lever B, one of its arms a,l 1as connected to it an operating rod 1), which extends into the cab, or in a convenient position to be operated by the engineer. The other arm 0, of the bell crank lever depends from the corner of the engine, a sufficient distance to engage the upright D, pivoted at c, to one of the ties d. This upright D, (so called because its normal positiouis upright) has .a slot E, with a pin e, passing through it, and through the slot f, in the enlarged head F, of the trigger arm G, leaving the said trigger arm resting upon the ends of two or more of the ties, and kept there by the brackets g, in which the arm is moved back and forth parallel with the track. The said trigger arm is moved forward by means of the depending arm O, and backward into its normal position by means of the plate spring H, secured at one end to one of the ties upon which the trigger arm rests, and the other free end engages the front edge F of the lower portion of the trigger arm head F. To the movable end of the switch I, is secured the tie bar K, havinga spring 9', secured thereto at h, and to one of the ties d, at Z, for keeping the switch closed. A dove tail notch L, is formed in the said tie bar between its spring connected end and the railway track, to receive the dove tail lug Z, upon the lever M. This lever is connected to one of the ties by means of a hand crank lever N, is hinged together at m, and provided with a spring or, which keeps the hinged parts of the lever M, parallel with each other until the end having the dove tail lug Z, and flange m, is pushed by the trigger arm.

The notch L, is made dove tail, so that the dove tail portion of the lug Z, will more readily enter the said notch, and should it only enter to a small degree it will engage the side walls of the notch closely. .The flanges m, of the said lug Z, rest upon the top of the tie bar K, at the edges of the said notch, to keep the bottom of the dove tail portion of the lug out of engagement with the bottom of the notch, thereby greatly lessening the friction of the said parts.

Referring to the modified form of trigger arm,it is wedge shaped,and the end connected to the slotted upright is curved or bent upward, and is T shaped, forming a bearing 0, which fits in the slot of the said upright,

and a head 0, to prevent its displacement; this trigger arm is inserted into the said upright by simply turning the T shaped head upon its side edge which is thin enough to pass through the slot of the upright, when it is then turned fiat, leaving the bearing 0, in the said slot. Thus entirely dispensing with the pivot pin e which passes through the upright.

It will be observed by the peculiar construction of each trigger arm, that they both are movably secured in the upright, that is they are free to move in the slot of said upright when ever the latter is moved.

The lever N, is shown, connected to and operated by a hand crank simply for convenience, as the said lever N, may be operated by any well known and common device now 1n use.

a The operation of the several parts of the invention having been set forth in the foregoing description, the operation of such parts collectively and particularly the automatic mechanism is as follows: The switch having been (it will be supposed accidentally) left open, leaves the dove tail lug in the notch of the tie bar opposite the end of the trigger arm, and as the locomotive approaches the switch, the depending arm 0, strikes the top of the upright D, pushing it forward and causing the trigger arm to force the dove tail lug out of engagement with the tie bar, allowing the tie bar and the trigger arm to be returned to their normal position by means of the spiral and plate spring respectively.

Although there is but one depending arm 0, shown, there may be another upon the other side of the engine, and the said arm isheld up until approaching a switch, when the engineer has simply to let it drop.

We do not wish it to be understood as limiting ourselves to any particular size or length of the arms and levers herein described, nor to their particular location relative to the tracks, but reserve to ourselves the right to change the size, length and location without departing from the spirit of our invention.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with a railway switch, of the spring actuated tie bar having a notch, the lever having a lug engaging the notch when the switch is open, the slotted upright, the trigger arm, one end of'which is movably secured in the slot of the said upright and the other end adapted to engage the said lug, and push it out of the notch to close the switch, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a switch closer operated from a locomotive, the combination of the slotted upright pivoted adjacent to the switch, the switch tie bar, the lever having a lug, the trigger arm movably secured at one end in the slot of the upright and the other end left free to slide horizontally and engage the lug of the said lever and push it out of the notch to close the switch substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a railway switch, the combination of the tie bar to which the movable ends of the switch rails are secured, said bar extending out from one side of the track, such extension having a notch, the spiral spring secured to the extension and to one of the track sleepers, the slotted upright, the trigger arm secured in the upright, the plate spring bearing against the head of the trigger arm, the pivoted lever having a dove tail lug adapted to engage the said notch and be pushed out by the said trigger arm, substantially as shown and described.

4. In a railway switch, the combination of the tie bar to which the movable ends of the switch rails are secured, the said bar extending out from the track and having a dove tail notch,the spiral spring secured to the extension and to one of the track sleepers, the slotted upright, the trigger arm having a slotted head pivoted in the upright, the plate spring having its free end bearing upon the head of the trigger arm, the pivoted hinged leverhaving a dove tail lug adapted to engage the notch and be pushed out of it by the said trigger arm, and the spring secured to the said lever across its hinge, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In witness whereof we hereunto set our hands in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM I-IALLIDAY. THOMAS F. RAWVLS.

"Witnesses:

H. D. KIRKPATRICK, W. P. BOOTH. 

